After efforts to raise her voice and fight for the right to use old hits along with the support of many fans and artists, Taylor Swift can finally perform her songs at the American Music Awards. (AMAs) 2019, where the 29-year-old star was honored as “Artist of the Decade”. However, this cannot change the outcome of this copyright war.
The result of 15 years of singing is like “a long journey of sand” in an instant.
Previously, in June 2019, Braun Scooter bought Big Machine Records, Taylor Swift’s former management company, for 237 million pounds. Therefore, Braun became the new owner of her first 6 studio albums, from the album ” Taylor Swift” (2006) to ” Reputation” (2017) . The singer said that Braun and Big Machine Records founder Scott Borchette did not allow her to perform her old songs on television because they had to be recorded. According to the terms she previously signed, this is something Taylor Swift cannot legally do until 2020. Taylor Swift expressed her frustration in the letter: ” These people have not contributed anything.” for those creations. They did nothing to build my relationship with the fans .”
Many people think that instead of buying Taylor Swift’s quality albums released by Scooter Braun, they are willing to listen to lower quality versions on online music sites.
Not simply not allowing Taylor Swift to sing old songs, Scooter Braun also changed the name of the album ” reputation ” to ” Reputation “; continued to change the music genre of the two songs associated with the female singer’s name, ” Speak Now ” and ” Fearless “, from country music to pop genre. This made Taylor Swift’s fans as well as the US-UK music scene angry and vehemently protested.
Scott Borchetta and Taylor Swift fought without mercy
In tense times like today, issues surrounding Taylor Swift’s copyright battle are the focus of most newspapers. Regarding Taylor Swift’s case, legally, Taylor absolutely cannot sue Big Machine or Braun Scooter because the sales contract between Braun and Big Machine is legal.
Previously, Taylor had the opportunity to buy back the copyright to the original songs but she refused. Scott Borchetta explained that the singer had 100% ownership when she signed a new deal, but she chose to leave. The ” Blank Space ” singer once explained about “leaving her shirt” that if she continues to sign the agreement, it means that the achievements she has achieved such as reputation, record sales, awards… will continue. fall into the hands of others. At the same time, she also anticipated that Scott Borchetta would sell Big Machine Records and once again, the fate of her albums and her name would become a deal between managers.
Taylor Swift tried to regain ownership of her 6 old studio albums while at Big Machine Records
Not stopping there, Big Machine also said that Taylor still owes the company millions of dollars and many other assets through a post accusing Taylor Swift of intentionally distorting the truth. Immediately, Tree Paine, the singer’s representative, responded: ” Big Machine turned the matter to a money issue and said that Taylor Swift owed them money, but an independent professional auditor confirmed that Big Machine still owes Taylor Swift $7.9 million in unpaid wages over the years . Up to now, the two sides are still in the stage of denouncing each other to prove who still owes whom money.
“Country Princess” will have nothing left if she loses the copyright ownership of 6 albums
Many opinions believe that Taylor Swift needs to focus on promoting the album “Lover” just released in August 2019 instead of lingering on copyright disputes. However, the harsh truth is that if Taylor loses this fight, she will have nothing left. In 2019, Taylor Swift ranked first in the ranking of the world’s highest-paid entertainment stars voted by Forbes magazine. In particular, revenue from the Reputation tour – the highest-grossing tour in American history – accounts for the majority of her income. Those talking numbers have raised the question, what to do when Taylor Swift cannot perform her own old songs?
Six studio albums not only play a decisive role in her annual income, they are also associated with her name, career and intellectual achievements. According to the old contract, by 2020, Taylor can start recording her old hits again. Thus, if one album is re-recorded every year, then on average it takes nearly 10 years to have a tour again. Losing the studio album copyright means Taylor loses her main source of income, tours and intellectual achievements from those compositions.
Similar to the case of Taylor Swift, the legal battle between the legendary music group The Beatles and the “king of pop” Michael Jackson is also a classic case of copyright disputes over musical works. In 1985, Michael bought ATV Music, the music production unit of The Beatles, for $47.5 million. Paul McCartney wanted to reclaim ownership of the group’s songs but was refused by the company. The friendship between McCartney and Michael Jackson was broken. By 2017, based on the 1976 US Copyright law, The Beatles were able to regain ownership of their music.
Before the music copyright dispute occurred, Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney were close friends who were admired in the entertainment world.
Taylor Swift’s posts on social networking sites partly show her despair and helplessness when she cannot fully use her songs. Many people think that she intentionally attracts attention, or pleases fans, but it cannot be denied that these six albums have special meaning for Taylor Swift. Although in the future, Taylor Swift may create a series of other lifetime hits, it is difficult to dismiss the years of achievements that have built Taylor Swift’s reputation as it is today. A long battle still awaits Taylor Swift ahead.
